LP partners with ruffed grouse, American woodcock societies on forest stewardship efforts

NASHVILLE – LP Building Solutions (LP) recently announced a partnership with the Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society.

LP, a leader in high-performance building solutions that manufactures engineered wood products for builders, remodelers and homeowners around the world, has a plant in Tomahawk. Founded in 1972, LP is headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., and operates 22 plants across the U.S., Canada, Chile and Brazil.

“Established in 1961, the Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS) is North America’s foremost conservation organization dedicated to creating healthy forests, abundant wildlife and promoting a conservation ethic,” a release from LP said. “Together with the American Woodcock Society (AWS) (established in 2014), RGS and AWS work with private landowners, forest products industrial partners and government agencies to establish critical wildlife habitat utilizing scientific management practices. Its members and staff recognize the numerous economic, recreational, social and aesthetic values that are generated from forest lands and wildlife resources.”

In the release, LP said the partnership aims to “promote sustainable forest management practices that enhance wildlife habitat and improve forest health across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.”

“RGS and AWS are national conservation organizations dedicated to improving forest health and wildlife habitat for ruffed grouse, American woodcock and other forest-dependent species,” LP stated.

The collaboration, LP said, focuses on enhancing habitat for these birds, which are reliant on young, diverse forest ecosystems, while supporting broader forest resilience across public and private lands in the Lake States.

“As the primary raw material in every product LP manufactures, wood fiber relies on the availability of healthy, well-managed forests,” LP stated. “Through partnerships with RGS and AWS, LP will work with private landowners, provide education on sustainable forestry and support management efforts that encourage forest regeneration, biodiversity, and ecosystem health.”

LP said the effort aligns with its broader strategy to support healthy, productive forests while helping ensure a stable, long-term supply of fiber resources in the regions where the company operates.

“Active, well-managed forests play an important role in supporting wildlife, strengthening rural communities, and sustaining the resources our business depends on,” said LP Chief Operating Officer Tony Hamill. “Working with the Ruffed Grouse and American Woodcock Societies reflects our long-standing commitment to responsible forest stewardship and the future health of the forests where we operate.”

Progress will be evaluated through defined milestones, including habitat improvements, forest management outcomes and landowner engagement across the three states, according to LP. Insights from the work will help guide future collaboration and continued investment in forest stewardship initiatives.

“LP’s approach to forest stewardship is rooted in its history,” LP said. “Decades after the company’s mills relied on nearby forests to produce one of its earliest widely adopted products, LP Oriented Strand Board, those same forests have regrown through sustainable forestry and reforestation practices, continuing to provide wood for new generations of LP products, including the LP SmartSide Trim and Siding and LP Structural Solutions portfolios. Today, many LP mills source from forests that have regrown after earlier use, demonstrating how responsible forest management supports long-term forest health and sustainable manufacturing.”

“I am excited about this corporate partnership,” said Jon Steigerwaldt, RGS and AWS Forest Conservation Director for the Western Great Lakes. “It highlights the important intersection of sustainably managed forest and conservation ethics and how both can positively support maintaining healthy and abundant wildlife populations.”